Bird Watching

    Bird-watching is an exciting activity which involves observing birds, and studying their habits and behavior. Adults, teenagers, and we, children, enjoy it during our spare time. Bird-watchers can simply watch the birds and enjoy their songs in their free time. However, some of them can also distinguish types of birds and their sounds; they often know the habitats or nesting and breeding habits of certain birds.

Where can you find birds of prey?
    The graceful or powerful flight of the birds of prey can be seen in various places all over the world - in mountains, valleys, forests, farmlands, or near the seas and  marshes, or in urban areas. No matter where you are, just look around – one is hiding among the branches of a tall tree in the mountain, another one is perching on a power pole or city fence, and still another is in your backyard.  However, each species has adapted to certain habitats.
    High mountains and upland heaths attract eagles, goshawks, buzzards, sparrowhawks. The Golden Eagle flies in the sky up to dizzy heights and scans the ground in search of prey with its powerful sight – that’s where the expression “eagle eyes” comes from.
     Egyptian Vultures, Griffon Vultures, falcons, Eagle-owls prefer rocks and cliffs. Peregrine Falcons nest mostly on rock cliffs and mountain ledges.
    Deciduous forests (oak, beech, pecan, common lime) are a favorite habitat for Honey-buzzards, Black-winged Kites, Red Kites, Lesser-spotted Eagles.
    Grass land, farmland and valleys are a typical habitat for kestrels, Common Buzzards, Red-footed Falcons, Peregrine Falcons, and Short-eared Owls. Peregrines, for instance, strike and capture their prey in flight, a strategy that requires open space.
    Marsh Harriers and Ospreys hunt near marshes, swamps and moors because they eat fish. Ospreys, for example, need to catch about 1 - 3 fish a day. A daddy Osprey needs to provide food for 2-3 babies and a mate and has to catch 6-8 fish a day. 
    A lot of raptors have adapted to man-made environments and can survive in towns and cities. Kestrels and Black Kites are a familiar sight, hovering beside a highway or perched on a telephone post, power pole or wire. These birds can cause problems at some airports because they collide with aircraft. We can see the Little Owl perched on city fences or lamp posts and when alarmed it moves its head quickly up and down. The Barn Owl builds its nests in barns, old buildings or city ruins.

When do you go bird-watching?

Time of the day:  For diurnal birds of prey (those that hunt during the day) the best time is in the morning or at dusk – 1or 2 hours after dawn and then 1-2 hours before the sunset. The ideal time to start is at 7a.m. and to finish at 11a.m. At that time of the day, the raptors are most active because their preys are most active and the raptors are starving after the long night.
    Eagles and hawks use thermals to help them takeoff and soar. That’s why most probably we can see them a few hours after sunrise, when the air warms up and the thermals are developed.
    For the nocturnal birds of prey (those that hunt during the night) the best time is between 11p.m. and 3 a.m. The male eagle owl attracts a partner with a mating call which can be repeated more than 700 times per night.

Weather:  Days with strong winds or heavy rain are not suitable for bird-watching because it’s not likely that the birds will fly around.

Months:  The most popular months for birdwatching are February, March, May, October.  In February birds of prey try to find territory where to build their nests. Many of them will return to the same place year after year. They fly around a lot and their songs claim their own breeding territory.  March is the month of courtship flying. Male birds of prey attract the females with songs or wonderful flights. The Peregrine performs various acrobatic movements in order to attract a mate. Even the Marsh Harrier which is a shy and quiet bird of prey, uses its voice a lot during courtship flying. In April the birds of prey usually hatch their eggs and may not be flying around a lot. In May the adult-raptors are busy flying and providing food for their babies. In June young fledglings are learning to fly, so you could see how some of them fall off the trees.

What equipment do you need?

   Although we can watch birds without buying any special equipment, there are a few things which might help us see, hear or record birds of prey better and make our bird-watching trip far more enjoyable.  Binoculars and telescopes offer magnification and bring the bird closer to us.

    Binoculars.  Choose your pair of binoculars carefully. An important thing is not to strain your eyes when you look through them. They should have good magnification combined with bright and steady image. 7 x 35 power is not a bad choice for beginner bird-watchers. The focusing wheel should be comfortable for your fingers – easy to reach and smooth to turn. It’s also good to know if you will use the binoculars in the daytime or at twilight, too. There are binoculars great for viewing during dusk or mist or in bad weather conditions. For children, size and weight is also very important – minimum weight with the maximum optical performance is the best choice, for sure. However, for parents price might be a factor in choosing your binoculars.

    Telescopes. Telescopes offer higher magnification than binoculars but they are heavier and more expensive. They have three main parts – eyepiece, body, and tripod. The eyepiece provides different magnifications. Usually it has a terrific lens system for color accuracy and detail. The tripod is used to support the body and its height can be adjusted for kids or for taller people. At my bird-watching trip I was given a wonderful telescope with a zoom eyepiece. The view of a buzzard perching on a tree was fantastic. It was as if I could reach it and touch it with my hand.

    Digital camera. If you see a bird of prey you don’t know, you may take a photo of it and later it will be much easier to identify – by showing the picture to an expert or by comparing it to the pictures in your field guide. If bird-watching becomes your hobby, it will be worth buying a camera with very strong lenses and zoom.

    Digital Binoculars with camera. Technology can help you greatly in your birdwatching and bird-identification. The binocular part will help you enjoy your raptor in the sky and the integrated camera will take a photo or a video clip which you can later share with your friends and relatives. Isn’t it great?

    MP3player. It’s awfully difficult to describe the sound that a bird of prey makes. An MP3 player comes in handy. You could record what you hear and later play it back for identification by a more knowledgeable person. 

    Mobile phone. If you have a good mobile phone you could use it as a camera or sound-recording equipment.

How do you take care of your equipment?

    You should take good care of your bird-watching equipment. Store your pair of binoculars or your telescope appropriately – in their own case in a dry and safe place. When you travel to the bird-watching spot, try not to hit it or drop it. If it rains during your bird-watching trip, wipe the equipment dry immediately after you finish using it. Wipe the lenses of your camera and binoculars with clean soft cloth.

What else do we need?

    A journal.  Regardless of whether we are young or old, geniuses or not, we all forget things. Our raptor-watching trip seems exciting and unforgettable, we have a clear picture of the bird of prey in our minds, but then bit by bit it is almost all gone. So, we need something to help us remember.  A journal.  Take a notebook and jot down about the birds you observe. The journal can also include drawings of the bird; funny things or disastrous things that happened to you on your bird-watching trip and any thoughts or feelings you may have had. When you are writing in your journal, it can also help you pay attention to details and think about the meaning of a certain bird-behavior you observe.
    Your journal should be pocket-size, so that it can fit easily into your bird-watching kit or rucksack. It’s good if it has plastic covers, in case it gets wet.
    Instead of a journal, you could have a Dictaphone – talk into it and later, with its software which recognizes voices, you could print it out and edit it.  This is way more money than that journal, though.

Sample Journal entry headings:

Date:

Time of the day:

Weather:

Place:

Habitat:

Description of the bird of prey:

Name:

Class, order, family, species:

How can a bird-watcher identify a raptor?

    There are illustrated books with descriptions of birds. They are called field guides. They are designed to help people identify the bird they see. Choose your first field guide carefully. On one hand, a field guide with paintings is very valuable because the artists draw all bird features which help you distinguish between the different species. These distinguishing features are called field marks. Photographs, on the other hand, display the real image of the bird and they can be very helpful, especially when studying the details of a bird.
    Before leaving for the bird-watching trip, study how the book is organized – if the birds are in an alphabetical order or in family, genus, species order. Then flip through the pages of the field guide and try to remember at least some of the birds which are common for your bird-watching spot. So, you will know what species to expect to see.

What characteristics are used to identify a raptor?

    Habitat. Although most raptors adapt to different habitats, they are most often seen in certain areas. Broad-winged Hawks like forests, Ospreys – wetlands, kestrels – cities and towns.
    Size of the raptor. You can mentally compare it to a popular bird you know. For example if its size is similar to the size of a raven, it may be a Rough-legged Hawk or a Red-tailed Hawk but it can not be a Bald Eagle.
    Silhouette. When the birds of prey fly, their silhouettes are different. Looking for their prey (fish), Ospreys and harriers fly close to the water or ground. That’s why they have long, rounded wings for stability. The American Kestrel has long, narrow wings and tail.  Here are some common silhouettes:

    Flight. The Golden Eagle flies with slow wing beats. The Little Owl has long, rounded wings and rapid wingbeats. The Barn Owl has rapid wingbeats and it glides from time to time.
    Color. The color of the feathers is the most striking thing in a bird and it can help you greatly identify the bird of prey. But be careful, the back, the wings and the underparts often have different colors. For example, the male American Kestrel has rusty-brown back, blue wings and black-spotted underparts. It’s amazing but sometimes you can recognize the raptor for the color of its talons or beak. The Peregrine Falcon has yellow talons, feet and legs and a hooked slate-blue beak. The eyes of the raptors are also of various colors. The face of the Little Owl has dark areas around yellowish eyes and it looks like as if it is frowning.
    Behavior. Behavior can be very useful for identifying a bird. The kestrel is hovering in the air - no wonder people call it “windhover.” The Peregrine Falcon flies at high altitude, and it dives at its prey with high speed. Vultures are nesting in the rocks, while goshawks are nesting in conifer. Golden Eagles are masterful flyers, they get to speeds up to 80mph and they often hunt from the air. 

Getting ready for a trip.

	Join a bird-watching group. Since we are children, it’s not a good idea to go on our own.
	Choose a bird-watching spot.
	Try to find out what species of the birds of prey you might see there. Look through your field guide.
	Put your bird-watching equipment in one compact rucksack or bag – binoculars (if you have any), field guide, bird-watching journal, pen, etc.
	Take a bottle of water and a sandwich.
	Wear camouflage or dark clothes, so that you can blend with the nature around you and the birds might not feel your presence.
	Put on warm clothes because you may stand on one and the same place for a long time. If it’s summer, put on a cap because it might become very hot out there.

It is important to follow these rules whenever you go bird watching:

	Stay quiet so that you don't disturb birds of prey.
	Be sure to NOT frighten birds of prey from their nests – they might not come back.
	Take care of the habitat while you are watching.  Keep your area clean.
	Be careful how you move or talk. Do not make fast moves and do not shout.
	Watch out for the reactions of the birds of prey. If you observe any nervousness or discomfort in them, back off.

Works Cited:

Bird Identification.  4 Jan. 2008.  <http://bspb.org/monitoring/show/8-other>.

Bird Spotting Scopes.   27 Dec. 2007.  <http://www.opticsplanet.net/digital-camera-binoculars.html>.

Bird Watching Journals: Preserve Your Bird Watching Experiences.  29 Dec. 2007.  <http://www.wild-bird-watching.com/Bird-Watching-Journals.html>.

Birdwatching Binoculars.  27 Dec. 2007.  <http://www.birding.com/scopeguide.asp>.

Digital Binoculars With Camera.  29 Dec. 2007. <http://www.birding.com/bird_identification.asp>.

Green, Jen.  Birds.  Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens, 1998.

Identification Tips.  29 Dec. 2007.  <http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/identification.html>.

Ohridski, Kliment.  Getting to Know Our Birds.  Bulgaria: Bulgarian University Press, 1992.